Chéticamp Long Term Care Workers Vote to Strike

CHÉTICAMP, NS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Workers from Foyer Père Fiset Long Term Care Home, represented by CUPE 2031, voted 93% in favour of a strike mandate, calling for improved wages and recruitment and retention.

“Lowest in Atlantic Canada. Those words alone should be enough to motivate the government to meet us at the bargaining table with a fair offer. Our government should want us, should want Nova Scotians, to be leading the way not lagging behind,” said CUPE 2031 President Trevor Poirier. “The fact we have to vote to strike, that over 30 locals have to vote to strike, just for the government to take us seriously is deeply disappointing. Why are they comfortable leaving Nova Scotians at the bottom?”

Long term care workers in Nova Scotia are the lowest paid in Atlantic Canada, with most support services classifications making less than $20 an hour. The Nova Scotia Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives estimated that the living wage in the province ranges from $24-$29 an hour, at a minimum.

“I don’t know about you, but I want the people responsible for taking care of my parents to make more than the basic cost of living. Why? Because they’re the people who make our family members feel at home when they can no longer be there and to me, that’s worth more than I can say,” said CUPE Long Term Care Coordinator Tammy Martin.

CUPE long term care members will be rallying at the Canso Causeway on January 28, 2026, between 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM before their conciliation dates to draw attention to their concerns and bargaining issues.

:so/cope491